'When you hear hoofbeats, think of horses not zebras' - the old adage is well-known to GPs but what should you do when faced with a zebra, not a horse? Consultant cardiologist Professor Robert Tulloh and GP Dr Louise Tulloh kick off our new series with their advice on how to catch Kawasaki disease in general practice.

Dundee University researchers have found measuring levels of the marker TFP12 in blood could reveal when melanoma has begun to spread.

Lead researchers Dr Tim Crook said: ‘There’s increasing evidence that the latest treatments are more effective in these early stages and, if we can identify patients whose cancer has only just started to spread, this would significantly improve the chances of beating the disease.’

Professor Mike Briggs, a world-renowned expert in skeletal genetics at Newcastle University, told the paper: ‘We are after developing something that can be used in a GP surgery and I hope that within five years we would have identified several markers that can test someone’s susceptibility.’

Lead researcher Dr Guglielmo Ronco, from the Centre for Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention in Turin, Italy, said: ‘On this basis, we recommend implementation of HPV-based cervical screening with triage from age 30 years at intervals of at least five years’. Currently women aged 25-49 years are tested every three years in the UK.

The analysis of NHS figures showed diagnosis rates are highest overall in the most deprived areas, but there are significantly more cancer survivors in the most affluent areas – and the survival gap widens over time. The study authors suggest it may be that people in more affluent areas are aware of possible symptoms or more willing to visit a GP with concerns.

Mike Hobday, director of policy at Macmillan Cancer Support, commented: ‘It is simply unacceptable in this day and age that your chances of surviving cancer depends on whether you live in an affluent area or not.’

‘Cancer patients must not be penalised for coming from a deprived part of the country.’